News

Jun 6, 2017

The lowdown on logos

If you’re thinking you really like the look of an image on one of the many stock photography websites out there for your new business logo, you might need to think again – or certainly think twice about it!

Ask yourself, is anything in life ever completely FREE?

P is for Permission

Using the entire or even part of a stock image photo as a logo for a business brand always requires necessary permissions.

L is for Licence

The licensing process.Licenses for stock images are generally divided into two types:

Royalty-free means that once someone has purchased a license to an image they can use that image multiple times without paying any additional fees to do so. That said, there may be some restrictions, so it’s important to review the terms and conditions of the license to be aware of any of its limitations.

Rights-managed images are generally restricted in terms of usage – limitations may include industry, geographic location or the duration for which the image can be used.

R is for Restrictions

Virtually all Stock Image providers will restrict use of content as part of a trademark, design mark, tradename, business name, service mark or logo. So, a licence would generally cover content use on websites; blog posts; social media; advertisements; marketing campaigns; corporate presentations; newspapers; magazines; books; film and television productions; web and mobile applications; product packaging – BUT NOT FOR LOGOS!

T is for Trademark

Rather than getting into hot water or spending your hard-earned money on using images that you don’t really have full permission to use in the first place, Holly Small Design has teamed up with Valens Solicitors, and are now able to support businesses through the trademarking of logos giving you complete peace of mind.

A is for Authenticity

With more and more consumers wanting to fall in love with their brands and feel passionate about them, it’s far better to recruit the skills of a talented photographer or upskill an employee so you can create your own stockpile of amazing images no?! Why use someone else’s?

For the latest and most up-to-date advice in this area, contact Holly Small Design. We’ll help you to create the logo of your dreams without getting cloud-busted!